Lucas threatens lawsuit over lightsaber - sorry, laser

Wicked Lasers is defying a cease and desists letter from Lucas Films, calling on it to stop selling its Spyder III Pro Arctic laser.

The laser, which has been compared to a Star Wars lightsaber, has been described by its makers as "the most dangerous laser ever created".

While Wicked Lasers hasn't been calling the thing a lightsaber itself, everybody else has. And Lucas believes it's been deliberately designed to look like one.

"It has come to our attention that a company called Wicked Lasers is selling a highly dangerous product out of Hong Kong that is designed to look like a lightsaber from Star Wars," says Lucasfilm's general counsel David Anderman.

"This product is not licensed or approved by Lucasfilm in any way. We have demanded that Wicked Lasers immediately cease and desist their infringing activities. As Wicked Lasers itself admits, this product can cause serious injury to the user and other people. We strongly discourage consumers from purchasing it."

The cease and desist letter itself, obtained by CNN, goes further, demanding a recall of all items already shipped, and a disclaimer on the website dissociating the company from Lucas and Star Wars.

It blames Wicked Lasers for the media take on the thing, citing headlines describing the device as a lightsaber - mea culpa, mea culpa.

"These references make it clear that the public is being led to believe that the Pro Arctic Laser is an official Lightsaber device," it says. But Wicked Lasers is defiant. It has "never compared this or any of his products to the Jedi weapon wielded by Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader," it says, pointing out one or two differences.

Its own product, it says, has peak power of just one watt, while the lightsaber offers a billion. And the clincher: the ProArctic is real, "while the lightsaber is imaginary".